PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered on Saturday the strengthening of safety measures in schools across the country following a series of violent incidents involving students, including the fatal school shooting in Tacloban City.
”Today, I speak not only as President, but as a father, a fellow Filipino, and as someone deeply concerned about the safety of our children,” Marcos said in his vlog, noting it is heartbreaking and horrifying that youth can commit such acts because of bullying.
”I have directed our agencies in education, law enforcement, health and local government to further strengthen measures for the safety of students throughout the country,” he added.
Marcos said the string of tragedies involving youths — the Tacloban City shooting, two separate stabbing incidents in Cavite and the drowning of two student-athletes of Ateneo de Manila University — was a wake-up call.
”While these incidents may be different, they all send us one message: we must protect our youth. We must protect them from violence. We must protect them from negligence. We must protect them from danger. And we must protect them from the silent struggles and burdens that so many of them carry,” he said.
The president said a strong collective action is required in facing such challenges.
”As a society, we need to restore the value we place on human life and reinforce the teaching of proper conduct, good values and sound thinking, more than any lecture taught in classrooms,” he said.
Marcos urged teachers to fulfill their roles, not only as educators, but also as mentors and counselors, especially for students who may be struggling with mental health concerns.
The president appealed to parents to spend time talking to and checking on their children.
Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the investigation into the Tacloban City school shooting could lead to a review of existing safeguards on police-issued firearms as authorities determine how a service weapon ended up in the hands of a minor allegedly involved in the deadly attack.
The police traced one of the firearms used in the shooting at San Jose National High School — a 9-mm Glock pistol — to a police officer assigned to the Police Regional Office in Eastern Visayas. The weapon was allegedly used by a 14-year-old suspect, while a second firearm, a.38 caliber revolver, was linked to a private security agency in Cebu.
Reports identified the police officer as the aunt of the minor suspect. The PNP said the officer had been placed under restrictive custody and that administrative proceedings would be pursued as authorities investigate the circumstances that allowed the firearms to be accessed and used in the incident.
Investigators are looking into how the minors gained access to the firearms, including the police-issued handgun.
Nartatez said the probe would determine whether there were lapses in the custody, safekeeping and accountability of the service firearm, and whether existing policies are sufficient to prevent unauthorized access to police-issued weapons.
”The investigation will follow the evidence wherever it leads. Accountability will be based on facts, not rank,” Nartatez said.
He said the findings of the investigation would help determine whether additional safeguards and stricter control measures should be adopted to ensure that police-issued firearms cannot be accessed, taken or used by unauthorized persons, particularly minors and civilians.
”If the evidence shows that existing policies on the safekeeping and accountability of service firearms were violated, those responsible will be held accountable in accordance with the law and PNP regulations,” Nartatez said.
The PNP chief directed police units to coordinate with the Department of Education, local government units and school officials to strengthen security measures in schools following the attack, which left three students dead and several others injured.
Nartatez said the incident points to the need for stronger cooperation among law enforcement agencies, educators, parents and local communities to help ensure the safety of schools and prevent similar tragedies.
